Rachel Chavez only wants to stay sober and keep her recently inherited parking lot in downtown LA financially afloat. Then an executive from the nearby water agency is killed by a hit-and-run driver, and Rachel spots the car that did the deed in her garage. A few days later her stand-in employee dies of peculiar causes, and Rachel unknowingly becomes tangled in the conniving cross-purposes of California water politics. When she uncovers evidence of a crime ring, Rachel believes the mystery of the two deaths is solved. But then another official is killed, her own father disappears, and it becomes agonizingly clear that the killer is closing in on Rachel.

Reviews

*Starred Review* Rudolph launches a new series starring Rachel Chavez, who owns--and lives in--an L.A. parking garage. After her gambler father loses the family farm and her tuition money for Stanford, Rachel is grateful to have inherited the garage and its small apartment from her grandfather. Following codeine and alcohol addiction, Rachel is living day to day, trying to stay sober and make ends meet. During her rounds in the garage, she is upset to discover a dented car with smudges of what might be blood on the fender. Her initial fear turns to horror when she learns of the hit-and-run death of one of her regulars, an executive at nearby Interurban Water District. Is this the car that killed him? And, if so, who was driving? One of the many delightful aspects of this story is the eclectic band of misfits and outsiders that helps Rachel solve the crime--from homeless fortuneteller Irene to night-shift office cleaner Goldie. Rudolph provides a well-crafted plot and satisfying levels of suspense, but what stands out most is Rachel herself--one of the most refreshing new series heroines to wander into the crime genre in quite a while. Let's hope Rachel's garage remains a dangerous place. --Booklist